Fantasy Demon Wars

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha watched their exchange in silence, wondering if they were bonding like her brothers did. But, when Augustus played out a little role that was meant for the Duke, she burst out laughing. No one she knew was a huge fan of the Duke, so it was hilarious to see someone mock him so openly. "That's so true!" She giggled. "He's so hateful!" Natasha wiped a stream of tears from her eyes as she looked up at Gus. "You know Gus? You're a funny guy! You're getting better and better each passing second!" She cooed, looking happy with herself at this seemingly new discovery.
But, enough of that, she needed to know where the Ward room was, so she looked over at Umbra, tilting her head so that her hair would fall over her shoulder. "So, the Ward room? I'm pretty sure we'd both love to get to know where that's at. Right Gus?" She asked, looking over at the boy with a rare look of seriousness and demanded respect in her eyes. She may be all for peace and seeing how everyone would be getting along, but she also didn't think it would be wise to continue with pressing all the wrong buttons of the guy who was literally in charge.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra snapped their hand away from Gus's shoulder as he went to swipe it away "sluggish" they muttered before they continued down the stone hall. They came to a door and produced a key from their pocket "make sure you don't let the Duke hear you talk that way, while the man does sit behind cushy walls he's the one paying us to keep this city safe. That doesn't mean he deserves your respect though." Umbra flexed their shoulders and stretched their back before opening the door.

The room was different to the rest of the hall, thick carpets lined the floors and the walls were covered in dark wood. Instead of torches on the walls or a fireplace small glass balls which seemed to contain lightning dangled from the ceiling. It was something no one in the kingdom would have seen but Umbra ignored them as they walked into the centre of the room "now then this is the warding room. There are warding tools in the cupboards near the door, do not break them if you can avoid it. Warding tools are specially made and as such cost an arm and a leg" Umbra shot the pair a look that said they had no troubles extracting that exact payment if they broke the tools "the tools do not leave this room until I deem you qualified enough." Umbra motioned towards a trapdoor in the centre of the room "We can go down there if you want but there will be no light at all" they growled "if even a single beam of light gets into that room you won't be having your demonology lessons"

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha became giddy all over again. The Ward room looked amazing! And there were so many thing that could help her learn that she didn't even know where to start. She began looking around the room instead, deciding it would be best to learn where what goes before removing them from their homes. She looked at each of the warding tools in the cupboard, the floating balls that contained lightening, and then the trapdoor; all with a look of excitement that usually only a child held. "Do you have a list of all the tools? If so, does it also list the uses for them? What about any materials that might be needed? Do you even need materials for warding? Or is it just carving them into the materials, like what you plan on doing with the wrappings of your sword?" She asked, taking a breath before continuing. "And what about the glass balls up there? Is that really lightening in them? How'd they get in there? Did you do it? Did someone else? Will we meet whomever did it? Will we learn how to do that ourselves?" Another breath. "Can we go into the trapdoor by ourselves? Or, since it's for demonology, is it too dangerous without you down there? Or is it alright if we go in pairs, just as long as we are not alone? Oh! Or are they all in cages? Because if so, can I poke them? Will that make them agitated? Would they mind being poked?" As she took her third breath, her barrage of questions ended. She stopped to look at Umbra, expecting answers to all of her questions, despite the fast pace of her speech all but slurring her words.

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

"What'd you say you fucking runt?!" He yelled while eyeing the fleeting figure before walking up to the nearest brick wall and punching it to let out his pent up frustration mentally punching himself for even considering this idea for joining the failing guild "Just think of your family...you're doing it for them..." Augustus muttered to himself before following the pair he took a few more deep breaths wondering how much longer this day would last and caught up just in time to hear the barrage of questions stated by the annoying girl who seems to have an endless supply of breath and rolled his eyes picking up a random tool examining it confused on how this little tool could possibly kill a demon or even wound one for that matter. Eventually he just placed the tool randomly back in the pile of the rest his eyes drifted to the hatch and tapped it with his foot "Why don't we just go down there now and torture the damn things? It'd be a fun time waster and way better to find the centre of whatever." The man stated with a demented grin on his face "I don't even care if they feel any of it the whole process will be fun by itself!" He quickly added while pulling his mace out and tapping the trap door again this time with his mace.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra snapped their fingers and the light in the room instantly dropped. Sat in the bare minimum light they opened the hatch and motioned to follow "you can fight them all you want, if you cross the wards to face them though I won't be crossing them to save you." Umbra's cold voice echoed through the chamber below "demonology lessons are simple. I tell you to draw your wards to protect yourself, you do it. It's not impossible to kill a demon but trust me when I say unless you're quick enough to strike them through the eye or the roof of their mouth they'll just get back up and come again and again. These aren't men, they don't die from normal wounds. That mace might as well be a feather to them you understand? You wanna go ahead and fight them, don't expect me to come in there to save you, your mission will end before it begins. Now stay still a second" they produced a brush and small container of ink and began to draw wards next to both recruits' eyes, they then proceeded to touch a pair of small fangs to the wards and nodded as the fangs crumbled away

"Sight wards, powered from remnants of dead demons. You'll be able to see down there. Eventually you'll be able to fight these creatures in the dark but for now the wards will give you sight" They descended the stairs slowly and hummed a song to themselves as the demons reacted to their presence and began crashing against the wards, large red spiderwebs filled the air as the magic flared to life, keeping the demons back "see, just our presence here sets them off. They haven't eaten in a long time so they're always restless. As my old mentor used to say 'if you can fight a ravenous demon you can fight a well fed one so much easier' and I follow that with training" Umbra stepped into the centre of the chamber and looked at the pair "so lets start your taster session in my guild with a quick taster session shall we? Which one of you can tell me why the air demons are so dangerous?" Umbra motioned to the air demon in a ward circle to their right so the pair could assess the demon and answer their question

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

Augustus shrugged a bit about the comment on his mace "I don't care if it hit them like an infant this was given to me by a friend who is no longer here I made him a promise I'd use it to kill as many demons as possible or die trying I plan on keeping it." He stated annoyed while putting his mace on his back once again twitching a bit at the sudden feeling on his face and followed the man down there looking at all the demons as if looking at animals in the zoo not giving them a second glance or even really looking in the first place. Once Umbra had asked the question he simply crossed his arms putting his weight on his left leg slightly "Wind demons are dangerous because of their talons and their thick skin so even when grounded they're still deadly along with their razor sharp beak that is able to gut a man just as fast as a human gutting an animal." Gus answered brainlessly. All he really did was looking at the animal and find all the things that were deadly about them seemed like common sense really except for newcomers who never faced one he's seen plenty of over confident teens try fighting one only to get mauled the second their weapons made contact with the skin of the beast. Thinking back to his the man hung his head low letting his hair cover his eyes. He wasn't able to warn them in time or even save them all he managed to do was look at their shocked eyes looking back at him with the small hint of wonder as to why he didn't help them and only watched.

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha thought for a moment, unsure. She feels like she had read about them somewhere, but couldn't remember the specifics. She then heard Augustus's answer and wondered if that was all. "Can't they also travel through the smallest of cracks in the Wards?" She asked, closing her eyes in an attempt at concentration. "Like, a crack in a wall that leads inside a heavily guarded, multi reinforced prison where a prison escape would be impossible since it was said to be impossible to even get in the door?" She continued, trying to think but drawing a blank.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra nodded "they have thick skin and weigh more than the largest of men. The skin stops blades, blunt force and anything else we can throw at. Arrows stick but they don't do anything more than tickle them for a second. Their talons can separate a head from the shoulders before you can blink and they're known to find gaps in the wards. These demons are a danger to us even in the city as the ward barriers only go up so high before they end and these abominations will fly over and catch people off guard" Umbra turned to face the creature "their weakpoint however is their wings. Skewer one of those and they won't be able to fly until they heal gives us enough time to push them into a ward pit to await the sun. Another weakness is the fact they require a running start or a jump off a ledge to get off the ground so we use bolas to tangle their legs when we ground them"

Umbra looked at the creature and then back at the recruits "so then, you think you could take one on right now Augustus? If I let it out right here and took Natasha behind the wards do you think you could even put a dent in its thick skull before it tore you apart? Or are you willing to quit the tough guy facade long enough for me to teach you actual skills. Because unfortunately for you, that mace there won't be racking up many kills, at best that mace is going to be a stick you use to beat them away when they surround you. It's the same with any sword or spear, unless you learn to effectively use it, it will hinder you more than help." Umbra's cold eyes cut through the dark as they turned to the next demon "what about fire demons, what are their weaknesses? I mean their strengths are obvious aren't they?"

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha watched the exchange with worried eyes. This didn't seem like it was going anywhere good. She made sure she was standing between the two of them, but she wasn't as strong as two men who were used, and preferred, close ranged combat. She could only look between the two, looking scared, worried, and at a loss. She wasn't sure how she could keep a positive spin on this. "Um...water...? And...lack of oxygen...? She asked, seeming to be cowering as she just thought about regular fire. "And...maybe dirt? That puts fires out too..."

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

Augustus turned towards Umbra and took a step forward only to notice Natasha between them with an unusual expression from what she usually wore. He choose to ignore it and turn his attention back to the man with a comments "Tough guy facade? You think that's what it is cause if so you truly don't know people and you sure as hell do not know me." He stated his anger finally boiling over. He moved the girl aside with possibly a little to much force than he intended but he wasn't necessarily thinking clearly to begin with. Moving closer to the purple haired man with nothing but anger flaring in his eyes "How dumb do you think I am? I know damn well I cannot take that thing on if I could I sure as hell wouldn't be here right now! I have people that wanted me to protect them and I failed cause I knew nothing about these damn things!" Augustus blurted out he isn't intending to share this much yet the words kept flooding out of his mouth and he couldn't seem to make them stop "I watched the only person I called family die saving me from a wind demon because I was careless! That is why I refuse to change my weapon it belonged to him and I swore on his grave I would kill ever single one I came across with the same brutality even if it killed me!" The man stated with the water gates finally breaking tears streamed down as his slumped down on his knees wiping his eyes frantically trying to make the tears stop. He's been holding all this in ever since his friend's death always acting stronger than he really felt because it made everyone else feel safe around him no one ever suspected a thing to be wrong with him and kept piling up request that he refused to turn down not only to help but to stop the guilty feeling that kept growing within his own heart and soul. (HA CRY BABY AUGUSTUS AM I RIGHT?!)

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha made a cry of surprise when she was pushed. She barely managed to stop herself from getting seriously hurt by catching herself. She winced as her right wrist bent at an angle it probably shouldn't, but she paid it no mind. Her main focus was to see what Augustus was going to do. She was imagining a fist fight: A full on brawl that would leave both sides battered, bruised, and unable to reach any sorts of compromise. But what she saw instead? This man, who seemed so against the world, strong enough that it separated him from the others, was crying. He was breaking down, and his attempts to hide it just made it all the sadder. She slowly made her way over, grabbing his hands in a strong yet gentle hold. "Stop. It'll make your eyes all puffy." She cooed softly. She then took him in a hug, lending him her shoulder whether he wanted it or not. "It's okay. It's alright." She hummed, gently rubbing his back with one hand and smoothing down his hair with the other, the pain in her wrist forgotten.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra reached out with speed to catch Natasha but missed her wrist and glared at Augustus, until he started crying. Umbra sighed and their eyes finally warmed up, the coldness melting away as their amber eyes became warm "look. This whole tough guy thing doesn't fool me. I've seen many hunters in my days and they always act the same. Many of them came here for the same reason." Umbra slowly turned around and sighed staring at the demons around them "these demons aren't random picks from the field. You're probably wondering why you're the only people here. About two months ago my last group of Hunters were in the field, they were always a confident bunch who acted like tough guys to the point they were overconfident. We were out at night and they're managing to push demons into the ward pits but then they decide they want to try and kill demons full on by trying to group up on them. I tried to stop them and they turned on me, I got this wonderful face scar from one of them slashing at me with their sword." Umbra removed their jerkin slowly, their back was covered in a range of shallow and deep scars. They turned around to show the scars on the front as well "none of these scars are from demons. That night my own Hunters took turns slashing and stabbing at me behind the wards and then while lying in a pool of my own blood I watched them try to face the demons."

Umbra had started to shake "it wasn't too long before they began to fall, one by one they were cut down until there was little left I could bury. All I could do was watch and wait for death to claim me too but it never came, I was found by our old healer who managed to use healing wards to help me but the cost was too great, she used all the demon bones she'd collected to power the wards and while I was renewed she was broken. She'd seen what had happened to the Hunters and left the guild, I haven't seen her since but I know she wanted the Duke to disband us, she was friends with everyone and I guess the pain she felt that night was too great. All I could do was grab the demons that had killed so many of my old Hunters and I trapped them down here so i could at least give the next Hunters proper training with the dangers of demons."

Umbra slowly approached Gus and put a hand on their shoulder "I understand the need to avenge the people you lost. But I am telling you that mace won't even scratch these demons. Not yet. Until we find offensive wards I'm asking you not to throw yourself into danger, learn everything you can and work with your team mates rather than being cold and distant with them. I'm here to help you all out but I can't do that if none of you get along. Teamwork is the best weapon we have right now but with so few of you it's a weapon we need to hone." Umbra felt Gus's pain, even though the people they cared about had turned on them at the last second they still carried the memories of their old Hunters. "Learn all that you can and help us all out. Carry those memories of your friends and let them fuel you but don't let it consume you."

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

Feeling the girl wrap her hands around him he tried pushing her away with what little strength he had left. One thing he was good at fighting until the very end and eventually he stopped and let her hold him while listening to the man in charge and his story only nodding his agreeance to obey. He hated them all seeing him this weak but it wasn't like he had much of a choice already he grabbed his mace and looked at it the tears slowing down and eventually stopping he sniffed a bit and pushed her away gently this time and handed her his mace "Fine..I won't use it until we get those fuckin' wards." Gus stated while turning to the girl with his mace "As for you since you wanna be the blacksmith you best keep it the way it is understood?" He added while grabbing her wrist and looking at it sighing "I'm sorry for pushing you..." He said struggling to get the words out. It felt like sandpaper was being scrubbed against his throat through each word while slowly moving her wrist around looking at her face for a reaction of pain "It could just be a small fracture or fully broken I'm not to sure..I've only dealt with bones that were sticking out or knife wounds myself no professional." The man stated while regaining his cold persona which didn't have the same affect since his eyes were puffy just like she said they'd be.

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha listened to Umbra, sadness in her eyes. These two were so strong...but also so vulnerable. She gave a soft laugh as Augustus tried at being gentle. It was nice, but it wasn't him. She could tell. So, she pulled her wrist away, making sure to keep all pain from her face and voice; something she had perfected through living with her family. "Oh, don't worry about it. I lived with seven men, so if I can't take a few punches, I'd be in trouble." She said with an even louder laugh. She stood up, a smile fully plastered on her lips, offering to help Augustus up with her good hand. "And don't worry! I may be good now, but with proper guidance, that mace is going to look just as good as the day it was forged!" She said with confidence. As she talked, she rested a comforting hand on Umbra's shoulder, trying to be there for them just as much, but she knew she couldn't just go hugging everyone. So, unless they broke down in tears too, she'd try to keep her distance....as much as she hated that.
For a change of pace, she clapped her hands together, her injured wrist twitching ever so slightly from the impact. She quickly clasped her hands together in an attempt to hide it as she stepped toward the trap door. "So, how about you show us where the kitchens are Umbra? I don't know about you two, but I am famished!" She held her stomach as if she had eaten in weeks, but smiling all the while. "What would you say to me making us something simple? And hey, maybe Noor will be there too!" She added with a chirp at the mention of the other female's name. She had kind of vanished and Natasha had hoped to talk with her some more.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra nodded as they put their jerkin back on "I'll show you the kitchens now. I'm actually a decent cook so I'll make something better than a simple meal for you. But you need to have that wrist looked at, that bend wasn't natural and you may have fractured it. I can either look at it now with healing wards or you can eat first then let me look at it." Umbra approached Natasha slowly and gently took her wrist, turning it over with the gentlest of touch "at least it's not a compound fracture, there's probably a slight fracture to the bone, give me a second and I'll have it healed" they lead Natasha and Gus back up the stairs and closed the trap door before they let the lights brighten up again and instantly set to work on painting complicated wards on Natasha's skin, their hand moving with quick precision that one might expect an artist to have, when they were done they pressed a small bone against the wards and watched as they flared to life. The healing process wasn't going to feel nice for a minute or so as the bone knit itself back together but Umbra could tell Natasha was stronger than she looked. They turned looked at both Hunters and grinned "the Duke doesn't know we have these wards, if he did we'd be forced to give them over to him and stop using them ourselves. We guard secrets like these because if we didn't he'd send his soldiers into the night knowing we have the wards to heal them. I want to fight the demons but the healing magic is so expensive, these bones take so long to get and it's hard to sneak demon corpses back into the city without the guards trying to stop us."

Umbra sighed, the Hunters would realise sooner or later that the healing magic was a close guarded secret so it seemed better to tell them now rather than later. Once they finished speaking they walked back through the halls and into the kitchen area. Torches were on the stone walls already lit, the giant wooden tables stretched from one end of the room to the other. Umbra looked at the pair again "take a seat if you want, maybe one of you could try and find Noor? She didn't get the tour but she could at least do with a hot meal before training begins tomorrow"

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

He watched the girl jump back and just rolled his eyes "Whatever your bones not mine I ain't gonna babysit you or your injuries." As he said that he watched her pretend to be cheerful again and only to have his stomach growl at the mention of food he looked away not saying anything just followed them out of the trapped door and watched as Umbra who is much nicer and gentle than the brute take care of the wrist. Figuring he still had to make it up to the girl one way or another he took a deep breath and decided to try this..nice thing they've been doing "You change anything on it you're dead." He stated only to add a very forced smile which quickly went away as he rubbed his cheek bones "Fuck how the hell do you guys do that smilin' thing! That felt so weird." He stated while following them to the kitchen and sitting down putting his feet on the table "Hey I can make some pretty good street slob just as good as you all can make a real meal so I don't care full course meal or overcooked ham food is food and I'm starving lets get on with it!" Augustus stated while looking at the other two as if expecting them to start working right away making the food.

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha was about to tell Umbra not to worry about it when she hissed. Yes, hissed. The healing wards hurt more than the actual injury! How did that make sense? Wasn't healing supposed to make things better? The young girl had to fight every instinct to NOT pull her hand away from the man that she knew was trying to help. Her eyes were closed, enduring until Umbra let her go. She gently cradled her wrist whilst it healed, looking more confused than hurt at this point. "Yeah, got it. Don't want them running off without any actual training just because there's a chance at being healed if they get a major injury." She stated, following Umbra and Augustus to the kitchen. It was a lot bigger than the one at her home, so she was excited. She went to exploring, though she still kept her wrist closer than she had previously as she did so.
"Well, get used to eating delicious things from now on!" She primed proudly. "Umbra, what all are we allowed to use? Or is it all free game?" She asked, setting to looking through the cupboards. "Also, I'm asking though I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but do the both of you eat meat frequently?" She asked, looking back so she could glance at the two men. She would go looking for Noor later, after she knew these two weren't going to be at each other's throats the moment she left. They may be acting civil, but the moment either of them said the wrong thing, Natasha wasn't doubting that another almost battle would break out. That's how her brothers and father functioned, so she had no reason to doubt that was how it was going to be with two alpha males this close in proximity. Of course, none of this showed on her face, her bright smile plastered on her face like it was a permanent fixture.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra sighed "manners maketh man" Umbra said as they worked their way into the kitchen "not that I am a man, or a woman for that matter" they laughed to themself as they began preparing delicate cuts of meat and vegetables "while you're here you won't be eating 'street slob' we fight like warriors and eat like Kings. Normally we have a cook here but seeing as she's out with Draven at the moment I guess I'll cook for you." Umbra turned to Natasha "use whatever you want, I'm not sure about Augustus but I eat meat with all my meals, adds that bit of flavour y'know?"

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

"Maketh man elsewhere I got plenty of manners enough that kept me kickin' this far in life." He said while burping and laughing "Damn that was a good one!" He added with a prideful smile. But he quickly lost it after hearing he wouldn't be getting any street slob and crossed his arms a bit while leaning further back on the chair "Street slob is amazing though! I need to make some before we go on any night raids." Augustus stated mostly to himself though while eventually just putting the chair back on all fours and leans on the table watching them shrugging at the question "Indifferent about if I get meat or not can live with or without honestly." The male stated while walking over and grabbing a random knife twirling it around before putting his hand on the table and started playing the knife game slowly "Good past time me and a couple of buddies played this all the time I was always the only one to not lose a finger just a few cuts only one major scar when I first started playing." He explained as he started picking up speed thinking back to when he was first taught the game and how quickly he grew to enjoy playing it since it was the only way to express himself without violence on others. That and he was surprisingly good at a game involving stabbing things that wasn't himself who would have thought he was good at not inflicting pain on himself but others.

 

[Noodle Time]

After Umbra had prepared the ingredients they got a small fire started over the cooking pot, they added the ingredients as well as a mix of water and small granules. Within minutes the mixture was bubbling, they added some spices and replaced the lid. They snatched the knife from Augustus and placed their hand on top of his and grinned "I used to do this too back when I lived on the streets. Eventually it becomes second nature" they began the game slowly and eventually picked up speed to the point the knife was a blur, carefully stabbing in between their fingers. They eventually started laughing as they closed their eyes and carried on

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Natasha watched the two, conflicted. She was happy they weren't fighting anymore, so progress! But...did that have to bond over something so...dangerous? She flinched whenever either of them picked up speed until she had to turn her attention to something else. She'd have to ask Umbra how to do those healing wards for future reference. She didn't care how amazing they were at not getting hurt playing that dumb game, she would rather know in case their cockiness took things too far and they did end up getting hurt doing something stupid. She sighed as she got a few things together to make a simple salad, giving that her full attention so she didn't have to watch the two play with knives. Really, where did people come up with such dangerous things?

Amberlynn was following behind her mother for the longest she's ever had to. She didn't know where she was being led to, but she had learned years prior that it was better not to ask questions unless she was expected to ask. The young woman had gotten up pretty early to start her chores: sharpen and clean both the practice weapons and the hunting weapons, clean the training room from top to bottom, make breakfast for the rest of the family which then preceded in them complaining about the taste. Amberlynn always hated that chore. If they really didn't like it, then they should stop putting her on meal prep. She was a better fighter than a cooker; something her mother and sisters always scolded her for. Saying that she would never make a good wife if she didn't learn, but she wasn't exactly looking to become any selfish man's wife. If she had to pick, she'd rather marry a girl. Someone who didn't want to constantly butt heads with each other just so they could have the upper hand....okay, a girl that wasn't like the woman of her family. Amnberlynn kept walking, lost in her thoughts until she almost ran into her mother's back. She looked at the building they were stopped in front of and looked between it and her mother in surprise.
It was the guild hall...the place that her family hated and avoided like it was a demon's venom. She looked at her mother expectantly, waiting for her to explain. Of course, no explanations would come from this woman easily as all Amberlynn got was a piece of paper. She looked it over to see that the guild was taking in new Hunters....but what did that have to do with them? She looked back up at her mother and that's when the older woman finally looked in her daughter's direction. "They are doing something about those demons, so you will be helping out." She commanded, looking back up at the guild hall with venomous distaste. "But do not get friendly with them. Take any good prizes and materials for our family." She added, her tone telling Amberlynn this wasn't something to be debated. "Family above all else." Was her departing words, the older woman turning sharply on her heels to head back in the direction the two had come. That just left Amberlynn in shock and confusion.
She stood in the one spot for longer than was necessary before she shook off her stupor and made her way into the building. She didn't see anyone at first, but she did hear other voices and smelled something, so she figured they had gathered in the dining area. So she made her way in the direction of the voices. When she entered the area, she found three people: two playing with a knife and a girl who had her back turned to the door. Amberlynn's first thought was that this group was going to be problematic at best, so she steeled herself before walking in further, making sure her presence was known.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra looked up instantly feeling a shift in the room, they twirled the knife around and deftly threw the knife back into the block it had originally come from. They wiped their hands on a towel and looked up at the new arrival "ah a new Hunter to join the ranks? or perhaps a lost soul looking for someone?" Umbra walked around to face the girl and smiled "what can I do for you?" They looked the girl up and down and took note of her. She looked like a fighter but Umbra couldn't be sure outright, they would have to gauge their skills with the rest of the new students. "Welcome to the Hunter's Guild, home of the Hunters. Brave men, women and others who fight the horrors of the night so that we might one day live free" they bowed shallowly

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

The man blinked and once he opened his eyes he was surprised to see the knife was gone and suddenly in Umbra's hand as he started playing. He simply crossed his arms and looked away while looking up at the ceiling "Yeah but I was never good at doing something until second nature. Its never any fun being that good at something cause then there is no competition at all." Augustus stated while he started whistling to himself only to stop and out of no where something felt off as if he was being watched. he looked back and realized Umbra had felt the same thing and followed his eyes to see a girl standing in the door "Geez this one is gonna give off the creepier vibes of not stating she's here isn't she?" He asked while looking directly at the girl before shrugging and looking back at the girl cooking "What are you making Nalasha and are you sure its edible?" The guy added while walking up behind her and peeking over her shoulder at the salad.

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

"Yes! I happen to be a great cook!" Natasha said, trying to look and sound offended but failing miserably. She was smiling as she made a few finishing touches before looking at it. It had lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, grated carrots, celery, and onions. She was about to take it to where the two others were sitting but bit her tongue to hold back a shout of surprise to see Augustus behind her. "I don't think you are one to talk about announcing one's presence." She stated with a sigh. "Would you like one? They are amazing!" She asked, setting the bowl on the table. "That goes for you two as-" Natasha fell silent, her eyes locked on the new arrival. Then she burst into a giant grin, food forgotten as she ran over to give the new girl a hug. She didn't stop, even pushing Augustus aside to get to her. "AMBERLYNN!" She shouted with joy. "It's been so long! How have you been? Wait, what are you doing here? I thought your family hated the Hunters? Oh, unless you left your family? But I don't see you doing that...unless they really push you. But I don't see how they could push you any further than when they-" Amberlynn covered Natasha's mouth, an amused look on her face.

Amberlynn looked between the two, eyes narrowing on them with distaste. Why would her mother send her here? Did she think it wouldn't be so male infested? Oh, that poor girl, having to deal with their arrogance. She was about to indicate that she was here to be a Hunter when she heard the second man speak, or more specifically, the name. Her eyes widened as her head snapped in the direction of the girl she had just brushed off before. Natasha? She was about to go check to see if it was the same girl, but the second man beat her to it. Amberlynn's eyes slanted in anger and distrust, her hands going straight to her dagger's handles. He got ever so closer and even Natasha seemed surprised he was that close. She took a couple more steps toward the two when Natasha turned and her eyes landed on Amberlynn.
Before she could process anything, Natasha had bolted from her previous position and had her arms wrapped around Amberlynn's neck while shouting with her glee. She began rambling, and Amberlynn could only smile in amusement as she took her hands off her weapons. She instead favored patting the other girl's head as she gushed over her longtime friend. But the rambling needed to come to an end when she started asking about her family. Or, more specifically, what they had done when they were kids. Her free hand went straight to Natasha's ever moving mouth, looking at her with an amused look. She signed to her that she was saying too much and the other girl just nodded, looking apologetic. When Amberlynn was sure Natasha wasn't going to keep speaking, she moved her hand, only to set off on another breathless tirade.
"Guys! This is Amberlynn! She used to live by me until her family moved. It was soooo boring after she left, but she's here now! Oh!" Natasha gasped, as if realizing something. "She doesn't speak. Practically mute unless you get her mad enough, so don't expect much conversation." She added with a laugh. Amberlynn signed to Natasha that the girl could talk enough for the both of them which sent Natasha into another fit of giggles "So true!" She said between breaths.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra withdrew their hand and sighed "a second person to deny my handshake, I wonder if I need to change up my greetings" they went back to the kitchen as Natasha talked. They checked the pot and nodded as they lifted the pot away from the fire "dinner's up ladies, gents and me" Umbra smiled. Even in Arden, the free capital of the country, calling yourself genderless was looked down on but they had never paid anyone any mind. "I hope you all eat meat because this is my famous meat stew, soft meat mixed with vegetables and a mixture of spices to give it a nice kick" they began pouring the stew into bowls and placed them at the front of the counter "so then Amberlynn, what brings you to the guild? Fortune? Glory and Fame? Or do you just want the chance to fight back against the night?" they smiled warmly, their voice taking on an almost feminine tone